Difficulties are often encountered when hanging Christmas tree ornaments, lights and other decorative objects, particularly when the objects are located or are to be located at elevated or other difficult to access locations. Locating ornaments and the like on Christmas trees presents particular problems in view of the fact that the ornaments or other objects to be installed or removed are often fragile and further in view of the fact that the Christmas tree branches are often awkward to deal with and interfere with installation or removal.
Many devices have been devised to assist in the installation and removal of Christmas tree ornaments and other objects. The following United States patents disclose devices which are believed to be representative of the current state of the prior art in this field: U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,905, issued Sep. 10, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,975, issued Oct. 1, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,970, issued Feb. 21, 1995, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,470, issued Nov. 19, 1996.
As described in greater detail below, the apparatus of the present invention incorporates a double-ended support hook of specialized construction to interconnect one object to another, for example a Christmas tree ornament to a Christmas tree branch. Applicant is aware of the following U.S. patents relating to hangers or supports for objects: U.S. Pat. No. 1,248,843, issued Dec. 4, 1917, U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,979, issued May 10, 1998, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,350, issued May 12, 1987.
None of the U.S. patents referenced above disclose the unique combination of structural elements disclosed and claimed herein which cooperate in a unique manner to provide ease of use and provide a highly reliable approach to the installation and removal of Christmas tree ornaments and other objects. The invention disclosed and claimed herein is characterized by its relative simplicity, ease of use, and reliability.